1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a canine training device, and more particularly, the invention relates to a training device including a sleeve for protecting a person's arm during canine training.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Instruction and training of police dogs, security dogs, and sport dogs requires specialized equipment to protect both the people training the dog and the dog during training exercises. Training of police, security and sport dogs includes training the dogs to grab and hold the arm or wrist of a threatening person. Once the dog has successfully immobilized the arm, a person will be less of a threat because the arm which may be holding a gun, knife, or other weapon can no longer be used.
Training of a dog for security use or competition requires that the dog be trained to bite and hold the arm or wrist of an attacker. During training, the trainer will handle and instruct the dog to bite the arm of a helper who is outfitted with a special protective training device. The training device surrounds the helper's arm and allows the dog to safely bite the training device without injuring the helper or causing injury to the dog's teeth. The helper must angle the training device so that as the dog leaps toward the helper, the dog will grasp the sleeve and be swung around by the helper. The training devices used for this training procedure generally consist of a padded sleeve of some sort which surrounds the arm and hand of the helper and has a soft fabric cover to be grasped by the dog.
One type of training sleeve which is used for dog training includes a cylindrical tube having a dowel secured within the tube at a first end of the tube. The tube fits over the helper's forearm and the dowel is grasped in the helper's hand. A bite bar which is a wedge shaped member is secured to the tube by glue and/or stitching. The bite bar and tube are generally covered with leather. The tube and bite bar are surrounded by a padded cover which the dog bites into and holds. An upper arm guard in the form of a second tube is provided for protection of the upper arm and is connected to the tube surrounding the forearm at the elbow by a leather hinge. One example of such a training device is illustrated in German patent No. 2,826,359.
There are substantial drawbacks to this know training device design, particularly in the areas of comfort for the helper and safety for the dog. In particular, due to the shape of the cylindrical tube and the manner of holding the tube by grasping the dowel in a fist, a majority of the force during working of the dog is transmitted from an inside surface of the tube to the knuckle of the index finger and the knuckle of the thumb. In fact, when the dog makes full contact with the sleeve for a bite the entire weight of the dog may be supported primarily on these two knuckles causing extreme fatigue of the helper.
In addition, due to the cylindrical shape of the tube there is a large amount of space between portions of the helper's arm and hand and the inside surface of the tube. Accordingly, there is a delay between an arm movement of the helper and a corresponding movement of the sleeve. This delay may prevent the helper from getting the sleeve into a proper presentation position and cause the dog to miss the sleeve. Further, the fixed angle at which the bite bar is positioned on the tube will not always achieve an optimal working position. With the known training devices, the teeth of the dog may also become lodged in the training device and break off.
The known training devices are formed of heavy materials including foam, leather, and canvas, the weight of which leads to helper fatigue. Finally, the hinge between the lower arm tube and the upper arm tube of the known training devices prevents relative rotation of the forearm with respect to the upper arm, called pronation and supination.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a training device with improved helper comfort, improved responsiveness, adjustability for different working positions, and improved safety for the dog being trained.